Gnocco

The Scene – In the sweet but cramped back room, downtown claustrophobia somehow feels like old-world intimacy. There's a lot of Italian spoken--and occasionally sung--by both staff and patrons here. The owners staff the kitchen on a system: Recruit fresh-faced Italian chefs, train them in Modena and ship them to the East Village for a temporary tour of duty. – – The Food – All the imported talent in the kitchen makes for a refreshingly original menu. The namesake gnocco are crisp yet chewy squares of fried bread, served with a generous assortment of top-notch cured…

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What to Drink:: The wine list is small, but it contains some winners; nearly everything is available by the glass.
The Extras:: Gnocco also delivers Mon-Thu 4pm-11pm, Fri 4pm-12am, Sat 12pm-12am and Sun 12pm-11pm. Minimum $10 order.

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User Reviews (51)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“The food is delicious and the ambiance perfect!” “The atmosphere was wonderful.” “The floor was on slant in the back, so the chairs weren't the most comfortable.” “Someone had recommended this place to me as having a good atmosphere but we didn't find this to be true at all.” “The decor was nice - we were able to sit in the outdoor garden area.” “highly recommend Gnocco for the food, atmosphere and georgeous Italian waiters with dark eyes and accents from the old continent!” “Thank you guys for this experience: great people, friendly/family atmosphere, very nice and friendly staff, great food and wine choice.” “Genuinely home-made food in a pleasant atmosphere” “charming decor, the trendy tunes, and the polite service were only setting the stage for what was yet to come.” “The ambience inside makes it a perfect place for a first date.” “Well, gnocco is all that and more, fantastic affordable food, friendly staff, and a easy atmosphere!”
dessert	50.0% positive	“The calzone nutella dessert was even bad.” “delicious desserts trio (tiramisu', Italian Cheese Cake and the AMAZING nutella calzone) has been the triumphal end of our meal.”
drinks	76.66999816894531% positive	“Very dissapointing, good service but terrible food, basic mistakes, unseasoned food, falvourless beef, warm wine glasses, unfresh fish.” “We had two bottles of expensive wine and yet we were still treated as though we were below his standards.” “Thank you guys for this experience: great people, friendly/family atmosphere, very nice and friendly staff, great food and wine choice.” “The gravina wine is a good option and their new pizza selections are fabulous.” “The food was amazing just like the wine.” “The food is really great: we had the truffle pizza, whole wheat pasta, the "gnocco" bread with prosciutto, beef carpaccio, filet mignon with wine reduction and few other things I cannot recall right now.”
food quality	79.93000030517578% positive	“Genuinely home-made food in a pleasant atmosphere” “Our server was attentive, and our food was everything that it was supposed to be.” “Overall place is awseome with great food and service.” “Our water glasses were never filled, we were never asked if we needed anything else, and all in all Gnoccho delivered mediocre food served with major attitude.” “Thank you guys for this experience: great people, friendly/family atmosphere, very nice and friendly staff, great food and wine choice.” “The prices are reasonable and the menu is authentic.” “delicious desserts trio (tiramisu', Italian Cheese Cake and the AMAZING nutella calzone) has been the triumphal end of our meal.” “highly recommend Gnocco for the food, atmosphere and georgeous Italian waiters with dark eyes and accents from the old continent!” “pizza is amazing in roman style, prepared by truly roman born chef.” “Being an Italian living in NY, I sincerely miss the friendly "trattoria" food that you find everywhere in Italy.” “My second time there, I felt the food was not as good, and there was a strange vibe among the crew, including the Maitre'd.” “delicious discovery” “Well, gnocco is all that and more, fantastic affordable food, friendly staff, and a easy atmosphere!” “The gravina wine is a good option and their new pizza selections are fabulous.” “Next time I want good italian food, I will go to Lil' Frankie's on 1st avenue.” “Great Place, worth a try, not too expensive, decent food” “great food, great owner, one of the best italian without investing $100 @ Cipriani.” “The garden was nice and the pizza was good but the rest of the dishes were bland and tasteless and the service was unpleasant.” “Their famous dish "Il gnocco" is the perfect merge of soft and crispy and moreover is not as greasy as you sometimes find it in Central Italy; the rest of the menu tasty and with a twist of fantasy (enough of meatballs and alfredo sauce, they have real id” “My entre was so salty I could not even eat it and my guest was disgusted by a bad piece of fish.” “They don't rush you out, and the food is affordable and good.” “The admittedly pretty good food was nowhere near good enough to justify the hostile, rude and disgusting treatment we received.” “Great food and friendly, attentive service.” “The menu selection was lovely and the food was very good - not the best I've had in NYC but for the price, I'd say it was comparable.” “Barola sauce which was terrible, I'm not sure how they made a suace taste so simple and one noted.” “The sizes aren't too big, but I found that refreshing, because it's easy to overeat Italian food.” “Sounds delicious, but the food seemed to lack something, and wasn't served very hot.” “Service was horrible but then again I return to many places with good food and poor service.” “we had some delicious stuffed zucchini flowers and mouth watering pumpkin tortelli with ragu sauce.” “Service and food was the worst I ever had in NYC.” “The mussles so tasty, the risoto with safron and parmesan cheese out of this world and the following pasta dishes gave a strong sense of freashness and delightful taste.” “Pizzas were really good just like in Italy but food suckd.” “The food is really authentic and very good.” “Our guests were impressed with the food, as were we.” “The food here was awful.” “Authentic food?” “The food is very good, the garden in the back is beautiful in the summer and nothing is very expensive.” “Very dissapointing, good service but terrible food, basic mistakes, unseasoned food, falvourless beef, warm wine glasses, unfresh fish.” “The food is simply fantastic, the wait staff is very knowledgable of the menu and make great recommendations.” “We had amazing truffle pizza, pumpkin ravioli and wonderful fried artichokes.” “The place is nice, the service was good but is defenetly the food the best thing at Gnocco.” “Definetely the best meal I had in Manhattan and reasonably priced (that is not easy in the city where everything is over-rated)” “Good food, good service.” “Ugly service, okay food depending on what you get (pizza is fantastic, main dishes are mediocre).” “The food is really great: we had the truffle pizza, whole wheat pasta, the "gnocco" bread with prosciutto, beef carpaccio, filet mignon with wine reduction and few other things I cannot recall right now.” “The food was great as well (my favorite dishes: ravioli, antipasto di mare and especially tagliata).” “The food is delicious and the ambiance perfect!” “45 minutes later our less-than-stellar pizza and their even less-than-stellar gnoccho was dropped at the table; no explanation or apology or attempt to acknowledge the ridiculous wait.” “great neighborhood place with authentic, Italian food at reasonable prices.” “Good Italian food highlighted by their incredible Gnocchi.” “The food was amazing just like the wine.”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“The food is simply fantastic, the wait staff is very knowledgable of the menu and make great recommendations.” “The prices are reasonable and the menu is authentic.” “Their famous dish "Il gnocco" is the perfect merge of soft and crispy and moreover is not as greasy as you sometimes find it in Central Italy; the rest of the menu tasty and with a twist of fantasy (enough of meatballs and alfredo sauce, they have real id” “The menu selection was lovely and the food was very good - not the best I've had in NYC but for the price, I'd say it was comparable.” “The gravina wine is a good option and their new pizza selections are fabulous.”
overall	100.0% positive	“The garden is a great place to eat, too.” “Gnocco is a really nice Italian restaurant.” “Gnocco is hands down my favorite restaurant in NYC!” “great neighborhood place with authentic, Italian food at reasonable prices.” “My favorite Italian restaurant in New York.”
return potential	58.33000183105469% positive	“have recommended this restaurant to several friends already and plan to go back myself.” “The service was bad enough that we'll never go back!” “While this place could be good if theyd lose the attitude and get the timing worked out, they angered me enough that I'll never go back!” “Service was horrible but then again I return to many places with good food and poor service.”
service	60.0% positive	“The food is simply fantastic, the wait staff is very knowledgable of the menu and make great recommendations.” “service was mediocre, yellowed greens, no effort made on presentation or quality.” “Good food, good service.” “We were squashed into a table in the back and the service was terrible!” “What was unforgivable was the rude, condescending and outright hostile attitude of everyone who works there -- even the busboy.” “Really long wait, sometimes over an hour as on our last visit and then service can be slow.” “Attentive staff, with prompt service at all time.” “Service was horrible but then again I return to many places with good food and poor service.” “Our server was attentive, and our food was everything that it was supposed to be.” “Although the service was extremely slow in an empty restaurant, that issue is to be expected at times.” “The staff was totally rude!” “It had a real homemade feel with mom in the kitchen, without professional experienced servers.” “Being an Italian living in NY, I sincerely miss the friendly "trattoria" food that you find everywhere in Italy.” “Ugly service, okay food depending on what you get (pizza is fantastic, main dishes are mediocre).” “charming decor, the trendy tunes, and the polite service were only setting the stage for what was yet to come.” “The staff is great, everybody seems on top ov everything, from the waiters to the bus boys, especially the manager, a big guy with a big warm smile, who was constantly checking about our "happiness" and make sure we were feeling at home.” “Great food and friendly, attentive service.” “went here for brunch with 3 people, and after 22 years of living and dining in New York City, I must say this was the worst service I've ever been subjected to in this city.” “The service was polite, but there was just not enough of it.” “Very dissapointing, good service but terrible food, basic mistakes, unseasoned food, falvourless beef, warm wine glasses, unfresh fish.” “The waiter we had was rude, not attentive and very moody.” “The garden was nice and the pizza was good but the rest of the dishes were bland and tasteless and the service was unpleasant.” “The waiter with a dirty towel on his right shoulder might have to find another profession.” “The service was impeccable.” “Overall place is awseome with great food and service.” “When we complained, the wait staff was rude and unapologetic.” “Service was great and attentive.” “Though at times the service can be slow, but other than that no complaints.” “The service was bad enough that we'll never go back!” “Well, gnocco is all that and more, fantastic affordable food, friendly staff, and a easy atmosphere!” “The place is nice, the service was good but is defenetly the food the best thing at Gnocco.” “The admittedly pretty good food was nowhere near good enough to justify the hostile, rude and disgusting treatment we received.” “restaurant thats friendly and unpretentious, casual but nice enough to make dinner feel a little special.” “While we had a nice table in the back, the service here was terrible!” “Thank you guys for this experience: great people, friendly/family atmosphere, very nice and friendly staff, great food and wine choice.” “highly recommend Gnocco for the food, atmosphere and georgeous Italian waiters with dark eyes and accents from the old continent!”
value	80.55999755859375% positive	“we ended the night by sharing an huge calzone nutella.” “But all in all, a pleasant experience, with prices that were quite the bargain.” “great neighborhood place with authentic, Italian food at reasonable prices.” “We had two bottles of expensive wine and yet we were still treated as though we were below his standards.” “They don't rush you out, and the food is affordable and good.” “Well, gnocco is all that and more, fantastic affordable food, friendly staff, and a easy atmosphere!” “The menu selection was lovely and the food was very good - not the best I've had in NYC but for the price, I'd say it was comparable.” “Great Place, worth a try, not too expensive, decent food” “and the price wasn't that bad.” “The food is very good, the garden in the back is beautiful in the summer and nothing is very expensive.” “The prices are reasonable and the menu is authentic.” “The cheese plate was overpriced, it had more pears than cheese.”
wait time	20.0% positive	“Although the service was extremely slow in an empty restaurant, that issue is to be expected at times.” “45 minutes later our less-than-stellar pizza and their even less-than-stellar gnoccho was dropped at the table; no explanation or apology or attempt to acknowledge the ridiculous wait.” “Though at times the service can be slow, but other than that no complaints.” “Really long wait, sometimes over an hour as on our last visit and then service can be slow.” “As tourists roaming the east village on a slow weeknight, a coulple of locals recommended Gnocco's.”

06/17/11

Great dinner last night

by tinabg

Had a party for 8 people in the garden there last night. Picked that place by walking by and checking it out. Loved the garden, so invited my friends there for a celebratory dinner. Then went online read the reviews and was terrified. Tried to change the reservation, but it was too late. And I'm so happy I didn't, as we had a blast there!

We were greeted by a welcoming host and seated right away even though most of our party hadn't arrived yet. The food was great! The bread was fresh and crisp, pastas, pizzas, filet mignon and branzini were delicious as well as the yogurt mousse desert. Great selection of wines, very friendly and attentive service. Everything was up to par. The atmosphere was very relaxed, it wasn't too crowded or too empty, not too noisy, not too quiet. My friends and I stayed there talking and laughing until almost midnight as nobody wanted to leave.

The garden is green and refreshing. Great option for al fresco Italian dining in East village! Would definitely go back and recommend to others! Sorry some people had a bad experience there. May be the restaurant changed something since then, as I definitely didn't encounter any of the things people here were complaining about.

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03/06/11

Wedding rehearsal dinner

by stevesuarez1

We have been going go gnocco for many years, and have never been disappointed by the food or service. They are both always exceptional.

Because of this, we decided to have our wedding rehearsal dinner at the restaurant, and it was absolutely fantastic. They accommodated our group of 25, and nothing about the evening was disappointing. Our server, Lauren, was absolutely fantastic and was always there when you needed her, but also never made us feel rushed or pressured which is amazing considering the size of our group and the fact that it was a rehearsal dinner.

The food was great, as always.

It was a great experience that I will never forget, and I'll have wonderful memories every time that I go back (which will be many).

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02/12/11

Atrocious service, terrible experience

by clnyu

My friends and I went to Gnocco for the first time a few weeks ago - and I can wholeheartedly say that it will be the LAST. Upon arrival, we were escorted to the back patio area - covered in plywood walls and cement, I would hardly call this "atmosphere" but that much we could have lived with. We were told by the ungracious and unprofessional hostess that we had an hour and 45 minutes to eat before the next party. I understand the need to turn over tables, but to be given that restriction by the hostess before we had even taken our coats off?? How is that supposed to make us feel welcome or add to our dining "experience"?? I have NEVER been sat at a table with a prefaced time restraint. That was incredibly off-putting and further vetted by the waiter who was practically shoving us out the door. He couldn't present us with the check fast enough, did not even ask us if we wanted dessert, and immediately 2 people (including our server) came over to check if our bill was paid while we were still trying to finish the bottle of wine we had purchased. It was a horrific dining experience on every level. I emailed the management at Gnocco to let them know about our utter disappointment, and never received any sort of acknowledgment - which leads me to believe the ungracious staff is taking their cue from management.

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08/26/10

Mixed Experience

by citygrrl116

This review is somewhat delayed-- I was at Gnocco about three weeks ago when it was warmer in the city. I was there with two friends around 9pm. The restaurant was relatively full at that time. We were seated in the garden as it was a nice night. I had a fresh salad and a pizza, which was pretty good. One friend tried the pasta, which seemed slightly undercooked. Our waiter did okay considering how many other tables he had. So, why not give them three stars, you ask? Because I was bitten by mosquitos like I have never been before. I have been in the city a long time, and the outdoor and garden dining experience is not new to me. But I have never left a restaurant so itchy or had memories of a meal as present as I have now in the way of the still-healing marks on my legs. Both of my friends had the same problem. And when we asked about citronella candles or anything to ward the bugs away, our waiter pointed to a lone candle at the waiters' station-- of course, that would be helpful to them, but not to diners. The food was okay, but not good enough to get me to try them again, not even in winter. My suggestion, if you live nearby, would be to order takeout.

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12/27/09

Bad experience

by Urbanguy28

I went to Gnocco last night and was very disappointed with both the food and service. The garden was nice and the pizza was good but the rest of the dishes were bland and tasteless and the service was unpleasant. Someone had recommended this place to me as having a good atmosphere but we didn't find this to be true at all. We will not be going back.

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Editor's Tips

06/17/11

Great dinner last night

by tinabg

03/06/11

Wedding rehearsal dinner

by stevesuarez1

02/12/11

Atrocious service, terrible experience

by clnyu

08/26/10

Mixed Experience

by citygrrl116

12/27/09

Bad experience

by Urbanguy28

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